


Where the Love Light Gleams

by nargles_exist



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Adults, Domestic, Fluff and Angst, Innuendo, Loving boyfriends, M/M, Multi, No Smut, Ongoing effects of Homophobia, References to Depression, Slice of Life, Workplace complications, more happy than not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:21:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21976513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nargles_exist/pseuds/nargles_exist
Summary: A peek into Kenma's household, as he and his three boyfriends prepare for the holiday season. Koutarou wants snow and decorations everywhere. Keiji wants to be a good host for their holiday party. Kenma just wants everyone to be happy and enjoy themselves. And Tetsurou… is strangely absent a lot.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou/Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Akaashi Keiji/Kozume Kenma, Akaashi Keiji/Kuroo Tetsurou, Bokuto Koutarou/Kozume Kenma, Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 16
Kudos: 290
Collections: Secret Santa Haikyuu 2019





	Where the Love Light Gleams

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yellowwclouds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellowwclouds/gifts).



> This is a Secret Santa gift for Jules (twitter @ yellowwclouds) as part of the Secret Santa Haikyuu 2019 event. They asked for anything with Kenma, poly relationships involved, fluff, a bit of angst is okay, but happy ending. I hope I have fulfilled that! Bokuakakuroken is my otp, and I jumped at the chance to write out some of my headcanons. It... kind of got away from me, but more is always better? 
> 
> I know nothing about Christmas in Japan, so this is a contemporary AU set in the Western world. Except... they still have some Japanese habits. Suspend your disbelief, please. It is rated M for language and innuendo, but it should be safe for work. There is no real plot; it's just some snippets of their lives together during the holiday season, both good and not so good. Everyone is happy, though, don't worry.

There was a dull pounding in his head, and Kenma's first thought was that he definitely shouldn't be awake yet. His second thought was that he was going to murder whoever was making the noise. "Mrrrrurrrrgh," he groaned, lifting his face out of the pillow and squinting against the light. "What…? Is that…? Oh, God, no," he whined, and he tried to burrow under the man next to him. "Make him stop, Keiji."

Keiji obligingly lifted his arm to let Kenma curl into him, but he didn't open his eyes. "I can't. I think I'm dead."

"You two are such babies." Tetsu's voice was teasing, and he ran his fingers up Kenma's exposed bare foot as he walked across the room. 

Kenma's foot retracted back under the blanket at lightning speed, jostling Keiji somewhat, but true to his claim, there was barely any reaction from the possibly-deceased man. His voice was flat and expressionless as he replied, "No, we're dead. And it's your fault."

Tetsu bent over the bed, pressing a kiss to Keiji's forehead and then nuzzling the side of his face. "That's not what you said last night," he smirked. He didn't have a chance to do any more teasing, because the door burst open, letting in a whirlwind of noise, energy, and coffee.

"I'm dreaming of a whiiiiiiiite Christmaaaaas," sang Koutarou at the top of his lungs, not remotely in tune and not remotely upset about it. He set a tray with four mugs of coffee on the nightstand. "Just like the ones I used to--"

"No!" Kenma exploded out of the blankets in a flurry of limbs and linens and pillows. His face was scrunched against the light and his hangover, but he directed his best glare at Koutarou. "No Christmas! Let Halloween die, for _fuck's_ sake," he demanded viciously. 

Koutarou grinned, his eyes bright with unsolicited cheer, and he tried to pull Kenma to him. "Ohhhh is someone feeling grumpy this morning?" he cooed. Resistance was futile, and Kenma just went limp, letting Koutarou manhandle him into a snuggle. 

"It _is_ a little early, Kou," remarked Tetsu, taking a big swig of his coffee. "Kenma's still in his costume and everything."

"I know," mourned Koutarou, looking at the slender man dangling from his arms. "He passed out before I could take it off of him."

"You kept buying me drinks," grumbled Kenma. 

"I couldn't help it," Kou protested. "You looked so pretty out under the colored lights, dancing up on Keiji."

"I don't dance," muttered Keiji. 

"Hush, dear," said Tetsu, stroking his hair. "We took pictures."

"Halloween is definitely over," continued Koutarou, stubbornly. "Just because you haven't caught up yet, it doesn't stop time."

"Just because Halloween is over, it doesn't mean you have to immediately deck the halls and start caroling," countered Kenma, snuggling into Koutarou despite his protests. He stop himself; the man was like a teddy bear. 

"I can't help it," said Kou, squeezing Kenma tighter and pressing their faces together. "I just love Christmas, and I know you love it, too."

"Not this early," mumbled Kenma. He cupped Koutarou's face in his hands and leaned into him. "And not before coffee." 

"But I brought you coffee," whispered Kou, distracted by the proximity of Kenma's mouth.

"I know," Kenma whispered back, pecking a tiny kiss against Koutarou's lips. "That's why I'll forgive you. This time."

Koutarou gazed at him with absolute devotion. "Your breath is just the worst," he said, his tone loving and with no attempt to move away. 

Kenma's nose wrinkled at the less-than-flattering sentiment, and he finally wriggled free of Kou's big arms, dropping back onto the bed. He scrubbed a hand over his face, cringing as he felt how tangled his hair had gotten. "Gimme the coffee," he said. 

"Should we wake Keiji?" asked Koutarou, passing him a mug and then joining him on the bed. 

"I'm dead," said Keiji.

Tetsu shrugged. "He doesn't have to work today. Let him be dead if he wants."

*

They held out another week before giving into Koutarou’s need for Christmas. Kenma kept his rule that singing (or playing) carols had to wait until after coffee. This was not too much of a hardship, as the others were used to Kenma’s pre-coffee grumpiness. He had never been a morning person, and it just became more pronounced when he was faced with excessive cheeriness, like during the holidays.

But once he was properly awake, he found it very difficult to hold onto his Scrooge-like demeanor. Koutarou was like a little kid with his excitement, and he could almost always infect Kenma with the holiday spirit. Kenma found himself acting as the second member of the decorating committee and helping to sort through the giant containers of assorted holiday decor in their attic. 

“Okay, these are Keiji’s,” said Kou, setting one box near the stairs. 

“Well, we don’t need those right now,” pointed out Kenma. He was sitting on the floor, surrounded by smaller boxes. “They’d be mostly ornaments, and we won’t get a tree until closer to December.” 

“Right, but…” Koutarou had a shifty look and was fidgeting with the tree stand he had picked up. He was obviously leading up to something.

Kenma sighed. “Kou, please tell me that you didn’t go out and buy a tree. It’ll die before Christmas.”

“No, no, I didn’t,” Koutarou assured him. “I remember.” He had experience with this particular mistake; though he still said it was worth it, because they had a tree for so much longer… even if the others were grouchy about having to switch the decorations to the new tree before Christmas. 

“I was just thinking…” He reached behind a stack of boxes and pulled out a magazine, already open to a particular page. “We have so many ornaments and we don’t get to put them all up every year and it’s not like we don’t have space and look these are on sale,” he said, all in one breath, as he handed the magazine to Kenma.

Kenma blinked, looking down at the advertisement for artificial Christmas trees. “You want to get a fake tree this year?”

“No, no,” said Koutarou, squatting down next to him. “I want to get our big tree like normal, but like… what if we got a couple of little trees, too? We could put them up in different places… Think about how much more Christmasy it would feel!” His eyes gleamed at the thought, and he leaned closer to Kenma in his excitement. 

“Oh.” Looking thoughtfully at the ad, he considered for a moment. They _did_ have an awful lot of decorations between them. And Keiji typically dominated the main decor, since he cared the most about the _aesthetic_ of the house and what guests might see. He and Kenma had gotten into a big fight the first year they lived together, since Keiji cared more about everything looking polished and pretty, and Kenma wanted his traditional, sentimental decorations that weren’t looking so great after twenty years. They had reached a compromise, but they still had a lot of ornaments and knick knacks that they rarely brought out of the attic.

“Well,” he said finally, “I don’t mind, but you’ll have to get the others on board, too.” He interrupted Kou’s hoots of excitement with an addendum: “And I don’t want a tree in our bedroom.”

“Awww, I guess,” replied Kou, though his wide grin didn’t falter in the slightest. “There’s plenty of other places! Oh, is that Keiji coming home? I’m gonna go ask him!” He grabbed the magazine out of Kenma’s hand and bounded down the rickety stairs. 

“Wait, Kou--!” protested Kenma. They had barely made any progress here. He sighed. Well, he certainly wasn't going to do this by himself. He pulled his handheld game console out of his pocket and settled back against a sturdy box. 

*

Koutarou's persistence paid off, and he was allowed to buy two small artificial trees: one for the entryway and one for the dining room. But that wasn't going to work, because Keiji didn't want the dining room one to be hodgepodge and mismatched. They were going to have guests in there, for crying out loud. He made Koutarou move it to the second bedroom, with the promise that he could sleep in there with it as much as he liked. 

The dining room had another problem. It was currently covered in advent calendars. Kou had gotten one last year, and he had loved it so much that he had demanded they each get one. They picked them out halfway through November: Koutarou had a _huge_ one that had a bottle of craft beer for each day, Kenma and Tetsu both had different fancy coffees, and Keiji's had holiday teas. 

Except… Kou didn't like it that he was only one who couldn't open his in the morning. It wasn't like he could drink a beer every morning before practice… so he bought a second one. It had a classic Disney ornament for each day. This may have been part of a future ploy to get another tree, and no one was fooled, honestly. But how was it fair that Kou got two gifts every day, and the rest of them only got one? Kenma found one that had Pokemon pins, and Tetsu got one that came with a little empty Christmas village and a cute figurine to add to it every day. Keiji finally broke down and got one with different face masks, because he 'had a feeling he'd be under a lot of stress this season'. 

The various calendars were cluttering up the sideboard, despite Keiji's best efforts to make them look less bulky and out of place. He was outnumbered on this one, so he was doing his best to relax and accept it as whimsical. He had almost made peace with it, and he was trying to decorate around them, hanging decorations and unpacking the Christmas tablecloth and candles… when Tetsurou came in and hurriedly hid something behind his back. 

"And what is that?" asked Keiji, suspiciously. He was standing on a chair, hanging a garland over the valance of the big window. 

"Um, nothing?" tried Tetsu, grinning hopefully. "Where's Kou?"

"If that's a fucking advent calendar, I swear to _God_..." warned Keiji.

Tetsu stuttered out some half denials before succumbing to Keiji's withering stare. He pulled the large box out from behind his back and held it out. "But it looks so fun!"

"Take it back," said Keiji, flatly, not even looking at it. 

"Keijiiiiiii," whined Tetsu, pressing his face into Keiji's back and rubbing his forehead against his shirt. "I promise you'll like it..."

"Tetsurou, at this rate, none of us are going to have any money for actual presents!" He gestured around the room. "This is out of control! How did we get to this point?" Sighing, he twisted to pat Tetsu's hair. "I don't think we're real adults."

Tetsu looked up at him, hugging his hips. "This is the fun part about being adults, babe. We have enough money to do stupid things like buy… nine advent calendars." He grinned and pressed up on his toes to kiss Keiji. "I promise we'll rein it in. And we can hide them when we have our guests over." 

"Promise?" asked Keiji, dark eyelashes brushing his cheekbones as he looked down at Tetsu. "You're supposed to be the other rational one and back me up on things."

"I know, I'm sorry. I'll try to do better." 

"Fine," conceded Keiji. "But no more after that."

Squeezing him around the middle, Tetsu whirled him around and off the chair. "Yay! You're the best." He gave a fairly evil sounding laugh and clutched the new advent calendar to his chest as he headed out of the dining room. 

"Wait, what is it?" called Keiji.

Tetsu smirked back over his shoulder. "Sex toys."

Keiji smacked a palm to his forehead. "That one is not going in the dining room."

*

The end of November was rapidly approaching, and the closer they got to December, the more feral Koutarou seemed to be getting about Christmas decorations. He felt like they _had_ to be ready for the holidays by December first. And most importantly, they were _behind_ the other houses on their street. Their neighbours to the left had an inflatable snowman in their yard, and the neighbours to the right had a sleigh on their roof, and their house had _nothing_.

"We're not getting anything inflatable, Kou," said Keiji, flatly. 

"I know, I don't want one," replied Koutarou, dragging the tall ladder out of the garage, the metal making a terrible screeching noise against the paved driveway. 

"You're making a racket."

"Good. Then everyone will be prepared for when our house is suddenly the best, most Christmasy house on the block." Kou sounded very satisfied with himself, and he set the ladder up against the side of the house. 

"I really think you should wait for Tetsu," repeated Keiji, for the tenth time. "He usually helps you."

"Yeah, but it'll be dark by the time he's home," pointed out Kou. The strings of electric lights had been stored around a big spool last year, and he was hoping it was going to make things easier this year. "It's practically dark now, and we have less and less time in the evenings."

"You could--"

"We can't wait 'til Saturday!" exclaimed Koutarou. 

Keiji sighed. "Of course not." He had mostly given up on arguing with Kou when his heart was set on something. He didn't really care when they put the lights up, if they did, but he didn't want Kou to hurt himself. "Don't go up on the ladder until I get Kenma." He sternly pointed a finger at his boyfriend.

Koutarou waved a hand in dismissal as Keiji slipped back into the house. Keiji worried too much; Kou had been doing this for years, and Tetsu never contributed that much to the process. He would be totally fine. 

Standing back, he took stock of their outdoor decorations. There were the roof lights on the spool, and then the lights for their trees were rolled up separately, and then last year they had taken advantage of the post-season sales and picked up a bunch of big shatterproof ornaments to use on the outdoor trees. 

Kenma slouched out behind Keiji, not looking that enthusiastic. "Why am I involved in this?" he was asking. 

"You," said Keiji, joining Kou by the ladder, "are in charge of having 911 ready, in case of emergency." Both Kenma and Koutarou looked unimpressed. "What?? I can't do it, because I'll be holding the ladder steady." Their expressions did not change. "Just humor me, will you?"

It was fully dark when they finished with the lights, and Keiji managed to convince Kou that the ornaments could wait until tomorrow. There was no disaster, but whether or not that was because of Keiji's precautions was up for debate. Regardless, Kou was smiling in satisfaction as he looked at their handiwork, his eyes reflecting the bright lights that adorned their home. 

Keiji leaned into Kou's side, nuzzling at his shoulder and looking up into his face. "You were right. This does make me feel a lot more festive."

Kou wrapped an arm around him and squeezed him close. "Right? Now all we need is snow."

Smiling, Keiji said, "I don't know that you can make that part happen."

"You're gonna need a bigger ladder, at least," said Kenma. 

*

Kenma was getting a little annoyed by having to come home from work by himself. He and Tetsu worked at the same place, and they _used_ to carpool, but for some reason, Tetsu was being all weird about going into work early and staying late, so Kenma was having to get rides from other people. If he hadn't known Tetsu as well as (or better than) he knew himself, he might have suspected that his boyfriend was having an affair. Or, on a more positive note, working on some kind of special Christmas present surprise. 

It was neither of those things, as he well knew, but at least those would be good reasons. Tetsu had no business doing extra work, especially not this time of year. 

To say the least, Kenma was feeling kind of grumpy as he got out of his friend's car. "Thanks, Shouyou." He half heartedly returned his friend's cheery wave and turned to skulk up the sidewalk, scowling at his shoes.

Opening the door, he kicked off his shoes, lining them up neatly in his space, and he hung his coat on his hook. Before he could make it any farther, he was ambushed.

"What--Kou?"

Koutarou pulled him into his arms, tilted him backwards, and kissed him. Thoroughly and deeply. 

It was a welcome embrace, and Kenma melted against his big boyfriend. A lot of his tension was fading away, unable to keep its grip on him when Kou was kissing him like that. Kenma was flushed and out of breath by the time his lips were released. He draped his arms over Kou's shoulders, pressing closer, standing on his toes to get his face nearer to his lover's. "Why the warm welcome?" he asked. "Not that I'm complaining."

Koutarou grinned down at him and pointed toward the ceiling, where a sprig of green leaves was hanging. "Mistletoe!"

"Ah," said Kenma. He stared at Kou, for a long moment, his big eyes expectant.

"Did you… not like it…?" asked Kou, fidgeting under Kenma's gaze. 

"I did," assured Kenma, not moving. "I'm still standing under it, though."

"Oh. _Oh!_ " Kou's expression lit back up, and he bent to kiss Kenma again. 

*

Kenma idly pushed his fingers through Kou’s hair. For the moment, it was unstyled and free of product, and the white locks were soft and silky. Kenma liked it like this and took advantage every chance he got, petting and playing with it. “Are you sleeping, Kou?” he asked, twisting a few strands around his finger.

“Mrphfth,” was the response, rumbled against Kenma’s chest.

Apparently Koutarou’s practice match had been extra rigorous today. He had been in the shower when Kenma got home, which wasn’t particularly odd, so Kenma didn’t think anything of it, settling himself down on the couch with his handheld and playing a game. 

Kou had emerged a few moments later, still rather damp, wearing only a pair of low slung pajama bottoms. He was rubbing a towel over his hair and looked surprised to see Kenma there.

“Aren’t you cold?” asked Kenma, glancing up from his game. 

“Hmm,” said Kou, dropping his towel over the back of a chair and moving closer. He eased himself down on top of Kenma, nuzzling his face into Kenma’s chest. “Not now.”

Pausing his game, Kenma had pulled the blanket from the back of the couch over Kou’s bare back, refraining from comment on how heavy Koutarou was, or that he was still damp. Every once in a while, Kou had a slight depressive episode, what they used to call ‘emo-mode’ in school, and his boyfriends understood that he needed some extra support during those times. Usually, they just snuggled him, made sure he ate and drank, and tried to talk about something unimportant until he felt ready to address the real problem--if there was one. Sometimes it just came on out of the blue, for no real reason, but those were fewer and far between since he began medication. Winter time, the dark, the stresses and pressures of the season combined to form a rather potent depression cocktail that wasn’t always alleviated by the medication. 

Kenma let Kou lie there, occasionally petting him, and played his game for a little while longer. Eventually, though, he got bored and set it aside to focus more on his supine boyfriend. He wasn’t really uncomfortable. Kou’s weight wasn’t pressing on anything sensitive, and it was warm and cozy, curled up together on the sofa. He could feel Kou’s even breaths moving his torso gently, and he guessed that if he wasn’t asleep, he was close.

“Kou, I think I’m gonna watch a Christmas movie,” said Kenma, softly, twisting and reaching for the remote. “Do you have a preference?”

Koutarou’s head turned against Kenma’s chest, facing the television with his ear pressed to Kenma’s ribcage. Kenma stroked the hair out of his eyes and continued the gentle petting as he scrolled through the options. 

Hearing the door open, Kenma waited until Keiji appeared from the entryway, beckoning him over. “We’re going to watch a Christmas movie,” he informed the other man, tilting his face to receive Keiji’s kiss. 

“Oh good,” said Keiji, bending to press a kiss on Koutarou’s forehead. As he stood again, he took the remote from Kenma and scrolled to a newer movie, one that looked like a cheesy, predictable romance. “I heard this one is fun. But I think we need hot chocolate first. Don’t start it without me.” 

“Let me up,” Kenma said, wiggling under Koutarou. “We have to make room for Keiji, too.”

Sighing heavily, Kou shifted, letting Kenma sit up, the blanket sliding down to pool around his waist. His hair was twisted into peaks from Kenma’s fingers, forming a softer, more disheveled version of his normal hairstyle. 

“Marshmallows?” called Keiji from the kitchen. 

“Yes,” replied Kenma. “Lots.”

Within a moment or two, Keiji returned with a tray holding three mugs of hot chocolate and a bowl filled with marshmallows. He set the tray on the coffee table and handed out the mugs before settling himself on the couch on Koutarou’s other side. 

Koutarou took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet chocolate steam, and pulled the blanket more tightly around him. He had two out of three boyfriends curled up against him, jaunty holiday music playing over the movie opening, and a hot drink… but instead of feeling the corresponding happiness such things would normally evoke, he still just felt numb. And there was nothing he could do about it. He wanted to feel happy, to enjoy this time with Kenma and Keiji, but… there was nothing. 

Logically, he knew that it was just the depression, but he couldn’t help but hear the little whispers in the back of his mind that told him he was ruining the holiday spirit, that he was dragging everyone else down, that they’d have a better time without him, that he was being useless, that he was _weak_ for letting this bring him down… 

He didn’t realize how fast and hard he was breathing until there were hands gently taking his mug out of his clenching fingers, and Keiji was holding his face in his slender hands, making Koutarou look at him. 

“Kou, my love, are you listening?” he was asking. 

His voice was low and soft, but there was a thread of command running through it. It was a voice that soothed Kou but also demanded his attention. 

“Koutarou, listen to me. It’s Keiji. I’m right here with you, and I’m not going anywhere. Neither is Kenma. We know you’re feeling bad.”

Koutarou tried to look away from Keiji’s steady eyes, ashamed that he was being so obvious, that he couldn’t keep it together in front of his loved ones. But Keiji’s hand held him firm.

“We know, Kou, because we love you. And we know we can’t really help you, but we’re _here_ , and you’re not ruining anything. It’s okay for you to just ride it out, honey, it’s okay. Just ride it out, and we’ll still be here when you feel more like yourself. You don’t have to do anything, or say anything.” He paused for a moment, looking into Koutarou’s wide eyes. “Do you believe me?”

Koutarou nodded. “Ride it out,” he whispered. 

“Good boy.” Keiji released his face, letting him slump forward against Keiji’s shoulder. “Shh, darling. Here.” He took the pillow Kenma passed him, setting it on his lap and easing Kou down onto it. He rearranged the blanket, and placed Koutarou’s hand on his leg, letting him feel for himself that he was close. “I’m right here, Kou.” 

As he felt Koutarou’s body lose some of its tension, Keiji nodded to Kenma, who started the movie playing again. “Pass me the marshmallows, please,” he asked Kenma.

*

Being part of a polyamorous, four-way relationship was a wonderful thing… except when it came to scheduling. Planning any event around four different schedules was frustrating and stressful, but Keiji had nearly perfected it to an art form. It was far less challenging now that they were out of school and there weren’t extracurriculars to navigate. Of course, they still had individual hobbies and events to attend, but somehow, they were fewer, or else it was something they were all attending. 

Christmas season, though, was remarkable in the sheer amount of parties and festive outings it brought. December began tomorrow, and Keiji sat at the dining table with their big chalkboard calendar in front of him. He was the planner, the one who got frazzled when things weren’t laid out nicely before him. So, he generally took it upon himself to do the scheduling for the group, if just to ease his own mind. Tetsu often helped him, as he was also fairly organized, but he was, once again, working late. Unscheduled, Keiji added to himself with a grumble. 

Koutarou was one of the easiest; he was given a schedule each month, and he just handed it to Keiji for safe-keeping. Anything outside his travel and matches, he brought to the group and asked their opinions. Keiji’s own schedule was also fairly unremarkable. He kept meticulous notes and documented upcoming events far in advance. Plus, he was somewhat reliable in his desire for consistency. Tetsu’s schedule changed from month-to-month, depending on what kind of research project he was working on, but even that was predictable. 

Kenma was the worst. His work schedule was easy, as he had consistent hours, but he had a terrible habit of agreeing to things and then forgetting about them until the last minute. It didn’t happen often, but it had happened enough that Keiji dreaded it. 

Speaking of… “Kenma,” he called, knowing that the other man was in the living room. “When is your Secret Santa at work?” He looked up as Kenma shuffled in, eyes cast down on the game he was carrying. He wrote it under the date Kenma told him, adding Tetsu also, since they worked in the same place. “And your work party is this night?” he asked, pointing. 

“Um, I think so,” replied Kenma, glancing away from his game. “Same as always.”

“Drinks and dancing?”

“Yup.” Kenma made a face, not having enjoyed it last year.

“Okay, then it looks like this weekend here will be best for the family thing.”

Sighing, Kenma paused his game and sat at the table. “Did you talk to my mom?”

“Yes, she said either of these two weekends would work, and Tetsu’s mom said this one was the best, and Kou’s family was not very communicative…” he sighed. “It’s like doing the world’s most frustrating puzzle.”

“Just say it’s that night, and anyone who can’t come, can’t come,” said Kenma with a shrug. 

Keiji wrinkled his nose at him. “Yeah, and I’d just like to see you explain that to your mom if it was her who couldn’t come.”

“Well, that’s not the weekend I’d pick,” smirked Kenma. 

“You’re such a little shit,” said Keiji, with no malice. “All right, I’ll let them know. And we’ll have to figure out what everyone is bringing, food-wise.” He started counting on his fingers. “There’s four of us, then your mom and dad, Tetsu’s mom and dad, his grandma, Kou’s parents and little brother, and his sister and her family… that’s… sixteen?”

Kenma was looking at him, and Keiji pretended not to notice. “You could try inviting your sister again,” he said, finally.

“Nah,” said Keiji, immediately. “I don’t think our house can hold any more people. Now, where’s that flyer on when the outdoor ice rink is going to be open?” He plowed on ahead, and Kenma didn’t push him on the subject. For that, he was glad.

Mostly.

*

"Oh, shit," muttered Kenma, climbing out of bed. He had left his charger in his backpack in the kitchen. Tetsu and Kou were both asleep, and they didn't stir when he closed the door behind him. 

The house was dark, and he paused for a moment on his way back to bed, wondering where Keiji was. He occasionally stayed up late working on a project, but he didn't usually work in the dark. A soft sound from the living room caught his attention, and he crept towards it. 

There was very little light filtering through the curtains, and he could see a shaking, sobbing shadow curled up on the couch. What…? Cautiously, Kenma tiptoed over and clicked on a lamp. Warm light spread over him. And over Keiji. 

Making a strangled _snerk_ sort of noise, Keiji looked over at Kenma, hastily wiping his streaming eyes. "Sorry, sorry..."

"What is it?" asked Kenma, somewhat alarmed. Keiji was always so collected and put together; the only time he saw Keiji cry was during sappy movies, and that was like sniffles and watery eyes, not full on snot and puddles and sobs. "Keiji, what?"

"It's nothing," protested Keiji, despite the fresh round of tears trailing down his cheeks. 

Moving closer, Kenma circumvented the couch and saw the picture frame. "Oh."

It was a simple frame; it was the photo inside that was complicated. It was a holiday portrait, everyone in matching sweaters, with Keiji and his sister standing behind their seated parents. It was posed, and no one was especially happy-looking, but there was a slight smile on young Keiji's face. 

Sniffling, Keiji traced a finger around the frame. "I don't know why I still get upset," he said, his voice choking a little. "It's not like it's new. I just… can't get over it. It hurts worse around Christmas. I guess because your parents, and Kou's, and Tetsu's, are all here and want to see us. And they… don't."

Stricken, Kenma just stared. He couldn't think of anything to say. But his input wasn't needed.

With a gasp, Keiji continued. "I want to hate them. I do, but I…" He trailed off with a thick, mucousy sound. "I'm just so angry. With them, for being so terrible, obviously, but also with me! Why do I care so much? I don't need them. I don't need them for anything. I have you and Tetsu and Kou, and I don't need financial support… And I have your families, too. And that also makes me mad. Not..." 

He backpedaled, turning to look at Kenma. "Not that I don't like them or want them to like me, but-- I-- why is it just me?" He burst into fresh tears. "I'm glad that your parents were able to accept us so easily, and I don't want any of you to have this stupid situation, but I don't _understand_ why your parents and Kou's parents and Tetsu's parents are all okay with us, but just _mine_ won't accept it?"

His shoulders were rocking with shuddering sobs. "I know that's really selfish of me to think like that, and I don't want anyone else to feel like this, but I don't want to feel like this, either!"

"What can I do?" asked Kenma, slightly desperately. He knew he couldn't fix the problem, but it was so painful to see Keiji so upset. Comforting words weren't his forte. Maybe he should wake up Tetsu? He needed direction.

Hiccuping a sob, Keiji attempted a smile at the look of panic on Kenma's face. "Nothing," he said with a sniffle. "There's nothing you can do. Just… hold me, maybe?"

Kenma nodded and scooted closer, wrapping his arms around Keiji and snuggling against him. He could feel Keiji's shaky breath against his hair, and he hoped that he was done crying. His outpouring of grief was so raw that Kenma was frightened by it. He could only sort of imagine how Keiji felt, but he could see it. He had seen it many times since the four of them had gotten together, but not like this. A feeling of guilt crept over him. How long had Keiji been bottling this up inside? Maybe he should have pushed more earlier, when they were talking about the family gathering. That was clearly what had gotten Keiji thinking about it.

They sat for several minutes in silence, holding each other.

"Sorry, Kenma," said Keiji, softly, sounding a little more steady. "I didn't mean to have you see all that. It's… it's not your fault."

"It kind of is," said Kenma, pulling back a bit so that he could look at his boyfriend. He smiled tightly, reaching to brush a thumb over Keiji's damp cheek. "I'm the one who convinced you we should make out while we were stuck in high school. If I hadn't… maybe..."

Keiji snorted. "I'd still be gay, Kenma. Just… gay and lonely."

"I'm sorry!" exclaimed Kenma, hands flailing around. "I don't know what to say. I'm so bad at this. I just… I don't want you to be upset." He looked searchingly into Keiji's face. "I want you to be happy, Keiji. Cuz… you know... I love you." The words weren't new, but Kenma wasn't used to being so open about emotions, and he was flushing with embarrassed vulnerability. 

"I know, Ken," said Keiji, finding his hand and squeezing it. "I love you, too. And just having you here makes me feel better. I can't-- I mean, I'm going to get upset sometimes because… it's..."

"Shitty," supplied Kenma. 

"Yeah, it's shitty," agreed Keiji with a sigh. He shrugged, helplessly. "I can't change it, but I can't accept it, either." Resting his head against Kenma's, he added, "I would never trade you, though, or the others. You seducing me in high school was the best thing that ever happened to me."

Kenma smiled and nuzzled his nose against Keiji's. "Anytime you want to reenact it, just let me know."

Laughing softly, Keiji pressed a short, tender kiss to Kenma's mouth. "We should probably go to bed."

"Keiji!" Kenma gasped in faux shock. "So forward!"

"Shush," said Keiji, giving Kenma a little push. "Don't make me laugh, we're going to wake up the others."

Scoffing, Kenma climbed to his feet and pulled Keiji up after him. "Yeah, right. They'd sleep through a marching band parading through the house."

"Even if they were playing Christmas music?" asked Keiji, his voice still a little thick. 

"Hmm, that _is_ a question…."

*

Kenma was staying out of sight, lying full length on the couch in front of the fire. He had already done his share of the Christmas card process, and now Keiji had Koutarou stuffing and stamping envelopes. But Keiji would surely find him something to do if he looked available, and Kenma needed a break from Christmas cheer. He enjoyed the holidays, especially spending so much time with his boyfriends, but sometimes he felt like Keiji and Kou saw it as a checklist, like they had to get all these things done or else it wouldn’t be a successful holiday. Kenma had a much more laid back approach and preferred to do things as he felt like it, not according to a schedule. 

He lay on his side, reading on his tablet, but he looked up as he felt the cushions shifting. Kenma scooted forward slightly, making room for Tetsu to lay behind him, wedged against the back of the sofa. He could feel Tetsu’s heavy sigh, and he lifted his blond locks so that his boyfriend could nuzzle into his neck without getting a face full of hair. 

Tetsu immediately did so, wrapping his arms around the smaller man and cuddling close. “This is nice,” he said, his voice soft and deep. “We should do this more often.” 

“Hmph,” returned Kenma, still holding his tablet as if he was reading. “Hard to cuddle when you’re not here…”

Tetsu was silent for a few moments. “I know, I’m sorry,” he said, finally. 

“I miss you,” whispered Kenma, glad Tetsu was against his back and couldn’t see his face. He reached to lace their fingers together where Tetsu’s hand lay against his chest. 

Squeezing his hand in response, Tetsu pressed a kiss to Kenma’s neck. “I miss you, too. I’ll try to do better, I promise.” 

“You’d better,” replied Kenma, severely. Or else he would be very annoyed, and no one had a good time when Kenma was annoyed. 

“Mmm,” was all of Tetsu’s response, and Kenma relaxed back against him, enjoying the familiarity of the embrace. He loved all of his boyfriends, but he and Tetsu had been together (or preparing to be together) for as long as he could remember, and there was no where else that could make him feel quite so relaxed and secure and _at home_ as he felt in Tetsu’s arms. 

“You were right about this couch,” added Tetsu, a bit later. 

“Our old one was too narrow for us to lie like this,” said Kenma. “I always felt like I was going to fall off if you went to sleep and weren’t holding me tight enough.”

Tetsu snorted softly, a puff of breath against Kenma’s neck. “As if I would ever let you fall.” After a pause, he added, “I was always so happy when you let me hold you like this. My little spoon.”

Kenma was tempted to jab him with an elbow, but he settled for rolling his eyes. Apparently, without his objections, Tetsu felt free to continue on in this sentimental vein. 

“This is my favorite place to be,” he said, softly. “And I’m not talking about the couch anymore.” 

“Ugh, shut up, you big sap,” grumbled Kenma, turning in his arms and pressing his face against Tetsu’s chest. But he was squeezing Tetsu tightly, staying close, actions that belied his displeased tone. After all, he had just been thinking something similar himself… but he didn’t _say_ it. 

“Right, of course, what was I thinking,” murmured Tetsu, kissing the top of Kenma’s head. There was a hint of laughter in his voice. “Trying to talk about romance with my lover as we lay curled together in front of the fire… definitely not the place for it…”

Kenma kept his face buried in Tetsu’s shirt, so his words were muffled. “You should know better.”

Laughing outright now, Tetsu squeezed Kenma in a hug. “Oh, my darling, I’m crazy about you.”

“Crazy is right,” said Kenma, finally lifting his face to look at his boyfriend. The kiss was inevitable, but no less enjoyable for the knowledge of its coming. “Kiss me more.” 

Despite the soft tone, it was a demand, and Tetsu enthusiastically complied.

*

Koutarou, Kenma, and Keiji were all sitting around the coffee table when Tetsu skidded into the room. He looked frazzled, his hair sticking up in all directions, and his pajamas askew. "Why didn't you wake me?" he asked them. "It's nearly noon!"

Keiji looked at Kenma. "We thought you needed the sleep," he said. "It's Saturday."

"We were supposed to do our cookies today!" Testu exclaimed, dragging on a sweatshirt.

"We started without you," said Kenma, taking a sip of his coffee. 

"You _what_??"

The other three men started giggling at Tetsu's outrage. "He's joking," hooted Koutarou. "We know all about your precious cookies. We wouldn't dare touch them."

Tetsu let out a sigh and joined in the merriment with a smile of his own. "You rat," he said, nudging Kenma with his foot. 

"We have plenty of time, even with your sleeping in," Kenma said, tilting his head back to look up at his boyfriend. His long blond hair was tied back in a ponytail, but a few loose strands framed his face. "As long as you're not going to try a new recipe again."

"Not this year," said Tetsu, grinning down at him. 

Tetsurou had quite a scientist's approach to baking, and several years ago, when they had first moved into their own home, he had done a series of experiments to find the best recipe. It had been a bewildering time for the rest of them, though Koutarou had enjoyed eating the rejected cookies. He had made dozens and dozens of cookies, changing one factor at a time and keeping meticulous notes on how the end product had been altered. And he had ended up with what he considered the perfect recipes for three different kinds of cookies. 

The others did not share his scientific approach, and so he did not trust them to make his cookies unsupervised. He always did all the weighing of ingredients and the mixing, only allowing assistance at the rolling out and cutting stage. And even then, he hovered like a vulture, making sure Koutarou's 'tasting' didn't get out of hand. And that Kenma didn't eschew the cookie cutters and make his own rude shapes. 

"All right," said Tetsu, rubbing his hands together. "Let me get some breakfast, and then we'll get cracking!"

Kenma sighed, flopping backwards against the couch. "I hate how much energy you have when you first get up."

Unfolding his long legs, Keiji stood up. "I'll come with you," he said to Tetsu. "I could use some more coffee, anyway."

"Ah, I can always count on you," said Tetsu, giving Keiji a quick kiss and wrapping an arm around him, steering him towards the kitchen. "Not like _you_ traitors," he added, looking back over his shoulder at the others. 

The traitors were not apologetic in the slightest. Kenma grunted from his reclined pose, and Koutarou remained bent over his sports magazine. "Call us when it's time to decorate," he said.

*

"Can I join you, Keiji-kun?"

Looking up, Keiji saw Kenma's mother smiling down at him. She was an older version of Kenma, only slightly more feminine; her dark hair was elegantly styled, and her cheeks were flushed with the suggestion of at least one glass of wine so far. He moved over on the sofa to make room and nodded. "Of course, Kozume-san," he said, with a slight smile. 

The house was crowded, full of their guests, and Keiji was taking a well-deserved break from planning and preparing and hosting--actually, Tetsu had put a glass of wine in his hand and pushed him down on the sofa. But he was grateful for the rest, and he had been watching his boyfriends interacting with their families. He hadn’t really felt lonely, but he did feel slightly out of place, like he was looking in through the window or was a ghost. Like Kenma, his mother was pretty perceptive, and Keiji was not surprised that she was the one who joined him. 

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me by my first name?" she asked, settling herself next to him and leaning back into the cushions. 

Keiji looked down into his glass. "Probably a great many more times," he admitted. He was not entirely used to the very informal way the Kozumes, Kuroos, and Bokutos had of interacting. His own family had been rather strict and heavy on etiquette and politeness, so he tended to revert back to that when uncertain. And despite having dated the other three for several years, he was still uncertain around their families. Fortunately, Kenma’s mother was more than willing to guide the conversation. 

She laughed. "You boys have done a wonderful job with the decorating this year," she said, looking around. "And it was a lovely dinner that you put together, dear." She winked at him. "I'm sure that it was mostly you and that my Kenma was no help at all."

"Oh… no..." Keiji protested, somewhat weakly. 

She was looking over at her son, who was leaned against Koutarou, looking up at him with a wide grin as he recounted some elaborate story about one of his matches. Keiji followed her gaze and couldn't help but join her in a fond smile. 

"It does my heart good to see him so happy," she said, softly. 

Keiji was quiet a moment, wondering if he should voice what he was thinking. Kenma's mother was always kind and welcoming and approachable… rather the opposite of her son, despite their similarity in appearance. "Er… are you… are you…?" He trailed off, unable to put his question into words. "Are you okay with him being… with us?" he asked, finally. 

She was looking at him intently and huffed out a small laugh at his question. "Do you mean, do I regret that he doesn't have a more conventional lifestyle?" she asked. At his nod, she looked up at the ceiling for a moment, thinking. "Hmm, the only regret I ever had was that he wouldn't give me any grandchildren… though, I've pretty much come to terms with that since, even as children, he and Tetsurou were always attached so tightly that there was no room for anyone else. Well," she added, smiling at him and patting his hand. "That's what I thought." 

"To be honest, I was rather worried when he told us he was dating you. Oh, you were always so lovely and polite, but… I couldn't help but think that Tetsurou must be heartbroken. Or that maybe he was using you as a placeholder, or something. That was unfair of me, but I couldn't fathom the idea that he could love you and Tetsu both, at the same time." She sipped her drink. "I don't entirely understand it now, but I understand that it works for the four of you. And that's all that matters to me: that my Kenma's happy with his life and those he shares it with."

"And who's to say," she added, squeezing his hand, "that even if Kenma had fallen in love with a woman, that they'd be able to or even want to have children. Plus, there's always adoption, should you want it. I'm not sure how it would work," she said, her brow wrinkling. "But I'm sure Kenma would make it happen, if he wanted it. He's always been determined and would stop at nothing to get what he wanted." 

Keiji found himself echoing her smile. "I'm not sure he wants that," he said, pretty sure actually. 

His opinion was illustrated, as coincidence would have it, a moment later when Koutarou's sister was called to help her older child in the bathroom and unceremoniously handed the baby to Kenma. His horrified face made both Kenma's mother and Keiji laugh into their hands. 

"Perhaps not," she agreed. "But he may someday. Or he may not. And either is fine with me." She looked at Keiji with her kind eyes, eyes that looked so much like Kenma's, and she added, "I am glad that you're here with him, keeping them all on an even keel."

"Oh, I don't do that much," he mumbled, hastily taking a drink. 

"I'm sure that's not true. They depend on you greatly. And I'm very happy that you're a part of this family, Keiji."

He could feel the muscles in his chest and torso clenching down, barely breathing for fear that drawing a breath might result in a sob. He hadn’t realized how much he needed to hear those words. "Thank you," he said, tightly. "I… that means a lot to me, Kozume-san." At her amused sigh, he attempted a smile. "Sorry," he said. 

"Keijiiiiiii!" Koutarou shouted from the kitchen. "Where did you put the wine opener?"

He gave Kenma's mother an apologetic smile as he stood. "Sorry," he said again. 

"Go on, dear," she laughed, waving him off. "I'll talk to you more later."

*

“How dare you.”

Pausing in the middle of zipping his boots, Kenma looked up at Koutarou. “What?”

“You have no right!”

Kenma sighed. “Is this going to take long? Shouyou’s going to pick us up soon.”

Ignoring him, Koutarou continued with his ranting tone. “It is absolutely _illegal_ for you to look so pretty.” He was leaning against the doorframe, watching Kenma’s final preparations. 

Despite his objections, Kenma was smiling, and he stood, shimmying around in a circle to show himself off to maximum effect. He felt a little bit ridiculous, dressed as one of Santa’s helpers, but at least he was a pretty one. Keiji had braided his hair into two plaits, and his cheeks were artificially rosy. He didn’t usually present this feminine, but every once in a while, he felt like it, and Keiji was always helpful in makeup application and styling his hair. 

His lean legs were encased in red and white striped tights, under a (slightly too short) pair of dark green shorts, and a matching green vest buttoned over a fitted red long-sleeved shirt. It was the silliest thing he had ever worn, and he would have refused, except that Shouyou had begged him to help. At least, Kou would be there with him, too.

Koutarou did not seem embarrassed in the slightest about his own costume. He was currently clad only in the red pants and black boots; the padded jacket was slung over his shoulder, since it was too warm to wear until it was necessary. He actually looked quite good, decided Kenma, eying him. The suspenders over his white tank top left a lot of muscles on display, and it was almost a shame to cover him up. But this was an event for children, and they would be expecting Santa Claus, not Sex God Koutarou. 

Kenma twisted one of his long blond plaits around his finger, smirking at Kou with a playful expression. He deliberately dropped his red and green elf cap on the floor. “Whoops,” he said, before turning and doing a bend and snap to pick it up, popping his barely covered backside out towards Koutarou. 

“Oh, ho, ho, Kozume Kenma,” said Koutarou, shaking his head. “You may look nice, but my list says you’ve been very, _very_ naughty.”

“But Santa,” said Kenma, moving to stand in front of Kou, gently tugging on his suspenders. He looked up through his darkened lashes. “I don’t want coal for Christmas. Surely there’s _something_ I can do to make it up to you?” He pressed up on his tiptoes so that he could whisper. “I can be _soooo_ good… I promise.”

He giggled as Kou grabbed him and dipped him back for a long kiss. 

“Kou!” They broke apart at Keiji’s disapproving tone. “Don’t muss him up, I just got his makeup perfect.”

“Sorry, Keiji,” they chorused, grinning at him. 

Keiji shook his head at them. “I am glad you’re getting it out of your system before you’re put in front of the children. We’re not trying to get any parental complaints.”

“You sure you can’t come?” asked Kenma, looking decidedly more nervous at the mention of the children. He had been assured that Shouyou would deal with the kids, and that all he had to do was point the camera and snap the photo. But he would still feel better with Keiji there as another buffer.

“I might stop by later,” said Keiji, smoothing some of Kenma’s bangs back behind his ear. “I promised the Sawamuras that I’d do their family photos today. It’s their little girl’s first Christmas with them, and Suga is all excited. But I think they mentioned wanting to see Santa, too.”

Kenma’s phone buzzed on the dresser, and he picked it up to read the text. “Shouyou’s here.”

“Aww,” said Kou, with a slight pout. “I’ll have to give you your Christmas present later…” He thrust his hips forward suggestively before releasing Kenma to shrug into his red coat. 

“Is it your dick in a box?” asked Kenma, smirking as Keiji concentrated on pinning his elf cap into place. 

“It’s my dick in _your_ box,” replied Kou. 

Kenma giggled and followed him towards the front door. “Gonna fill my stocking?”

Rolling his eyes, Keiji asked, “Is this any way for Santa to talk to his elf? What would Mrs. Claus say?”

“Oh, we have an arrangement,” said Kou, airily, watching Kenma run through the chilly yard and join his friend in the waiting car. “She doesn’t say anything about me fucking my elves, and I don’t mention her nightly visits from the Tooth Fairy…”

“You’re ridiculous,” burst out Keiji, laughing. He gave Koutarou a soft kiss goodbye, but couldn’t help adding, “ _Try_ to behave yourselves.” He sighed, but he was smiling as he watched them drive away. They were having fun, and that was all that should matter. 

*

Kenma looked at his watch, then frowned up at the empty corridor. Should he…? No, enough was enough. He scanned his badge to unlock the door and stepped inside the lab. Technically, his badge shouldn’t work here, as he had no authorization to work in these areas, but the company had a habit of using Kenma as their rotating fill-in worker, since he was known to be adaptable and efficient, and he quietly retained a lot of privileged access. 

Just as he thought. His boyfriend was seated in front of one of the dead air boxes, hunched in concentration over his samples, dark hair sticking up in tufts above his lab coat. It looked horribly uncomfortable, and Kenma had a momentary pang of sympathy for the soreness Tetsu would have after all that tension. He waited quietly, not trying to interrupt Tetsu and ruin what he was doing, but as soon as the other man pushed back from counter with a sigh, Kenma went in for the kill. 

He planted himself right in Tetsu’s line of vision. 

Tetsu was smart enough not to ask him how he got into the lab, but he looked a little wary. It was probably survival instinct, as Kenma’s expression was mulish. “Uh, hi. Is something wrong?”

“Time to go home,” said Kenma, flatly. 

With a cringe, Tetsu stood, pulling his sample plates out of the dead air box and taking them to the refrigerator across the room. As if walking away from Kenma would distance himself from the conversation he clearly didn’t want to have. “Er, I have a lot to do still yet. It’s been a busy day. You should go on without me.”

“Oh, has it been busy?” asked Kenma, his voice deceptively calm. “And you have a lot to do? That’s strange, because I know I just saw all four of your lab assistants down in the café, and I’ve seen them on break more often than not over the past couple of weeks. Cleary not helping you with all this work you have to do... Tetsu, something is clearly going on here, and you better tell me what the fuck it is.”

Tetsu was looking down at his feet, kind of slumped back against the counter. Kenma moved closer, leaning back on a lab bench so that they faced each other, only a couple of feet between them. His voice was somewhat more gentle as he continued. “Are they incompetent? Because you can’t just coddle them and--” 

“No,” said Tetsu, sounding somewhat anguished. “That’s not it.”

“Then what? Tetsu, I’m worried. I know something’s wrong. Don’t hide it from me.”

With a sigh, Tetsu looked up and, snapping his gloves off, ran his fingers through his wild hair, making it even wilder. “I’m worried, too. This project I’ve been working on is… it’s very important to the Board of Directors.” He huffed, a dark expression momentarily crossing his face, “What was it they said? Oh, yeah. ‘It would be a lucrative opportunity and could impact the future of this company.’” His tone was bitter. 

“Wait.” Kenma frowned. “What?”

“They have a heavy interest in this experiment succeeding,” explained Tetsu. “And there’s a lot of pressure for this product to work, since the past four haven’t. And if this one fails--which it will--I’m concerned that they’ll be looking for a new team of scientists.”

“But that’s not science!” Kenma exclaimed, outraged on Tetsu’s behalf. “That’s… that’s… capitalism,” he spluttered. Science was the search for truth, however unexpected or unwelcome it might be. He remembered Tetsu as a child, telling him that with shining eyes after his field trip to a museum. What Tetsu described now, where someone had already picked out a ‘conclusion’ and was asking people to work backwards to try and cram ill-fitting puzzle pieces together to create a palatable picture where things worked out to the benefit of the person providing the ‘conclusion’... it was extremely unethical, to say the least, and Kenma could say a lot more.

“I _know_ ,” said Tetsu, miserably, “and I _hate_ it, but there’s not much I can do about it. I voiced my complaints months ago, but the Board has several new members, and they won’t listen. They didn’t exactly threaten me, but I got the picture.”

“Threaten you?” repeated Kenma, his hands curling into fists. 

“With dismissal,” clarified Tetsu. 

“Fuck them,” said Kenma, immediately. “You don’t need this bullshit job, not if they’re going to be treating you like this. And we have plenty saved up, the loss of two incomes isn’t going to break us.”

“Two??”

“Well, I’m not gonna stay here if you leave,” Kenma announced, defiantly. He crossed his arms over his chest. “And then they’ll really know what hurt is, because they don’t even know what all I do.”

“I hope it won’t come to that,” said Tetsu. “I keep hoping that if I can show them that this tactic isn’t working that maybe they’ll give up and choose something new, something with potential… and like… research to back it up.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “But they’re not very happy with me, so I don’t think they’re listening. At least when this project fails, it’ll only be me that they can blame. That’s why I don’t have my team helping. I don’t want them on the chopping block for this farce.”

“Ugh, Tetsu,” said Kenma. He reached out to take Tetsu’s hand, squeezing it. “You could have _talked to me_ about this.”

The corner of his mouth crooking up, Tetsu replied, “I knew you’d get angry and say ‘fuck them’, and I wanted to try the less abrasive approach first.”

“You can’t keep doing this,” argued Kenma. “It’s making you sick, first of all, and it goes against everything you stand for. I know you like this work, but you can’t like _this_ , and if this is the direction things are going, you’re not going to be happy. And I’d rather you be unemployed than unhappy.”

“I know, I know…”

“You can find a new job. You’ve done great work here for years. Anyone with half a brain would hire you.”

“Not if I get fired.”

“So quit first.”

“And leave my team?”

Kenma sighed. “Tetsu, you can’t be responsible for everyone. Especially if they don’t even know what’s going on. They’re going to find out, sooner or later. You should talk to them. But ultimately, you have to do what’s best for _you_. What do _you_ want?”

Tetsu was silent a moment. “I want to go home.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I feel like I _should_ be here, trying my best, but you’re right. I’m miserable. I hate it,” he added, somewhat savagely. “And I hate hating my job.” He leaned forward, resting his forehead against Kenma’s. “But I don’t want to be a burden on you, or the others. And it’s such a downer to talk about maybe losing my job during the holiday season.”

“You’re not a burden,” said Kenma, softly. “Not ever. We’ve all been worried about you. We’ll get through this together.”

Tetsu took a deep breath, letting it out in a whoosh. “I’m sorry,” he said. “For not talking to you, for trying to solve this on my own… for missing a lot these past couple months.”

“Well, _I_ forgive you,” said Kenma, smiling up at him. “And I’m sure Keiji will, too. But you might have to grovel a little with Kou. He was very upset that you weren’t there when we were decorating the tree.” Pressing up on his tiptoes, he kissed Tetsu, soft and sweet. 

“I’ll do my best,” mumbled Tetsu. 

“Home?”

“Yeah. Home.”

*

_“I’ll be home for Christmas…”_

The sultry music drifted through the living room, but Kenma was focusing hard on not stepping on Keiji’s feet. “I don’t understand it. What’s the pattern?”

Sighing, Keiji repeated, “There is no pattern. Not for this kind of dancing.” 

“Then how am I supposed to know where you’re going to move?” asked Kenma, almost in a wail. 

“You have to trust your partner! That’s why one of us is supposed to be leading…”

Kenma’s eyebrows scrunched together in concentration. He managed to move to the music for another minute… and then stepped on Keiji again. “UuugggHH,” he groaned, pulling free of Keiji’s arms to flop onto the couch. “This is too hard. I’m just gonna sit around again and not dance.”

Keiji perched himself on the arm of the sofa, stroking a gentle hand over Kenma’s hair. “Darling, why are you so worked up over this? You’ve always said you didn’t care what your coworkers thought of you. I doubt there will be any professional dancers there, judging your footwork.”

“I _don’t_ care,” mumbled Kenma, dragging himself up the pillows to rest his head on Keiji’s leg. “Not about them. But last year… it just looked so nice: all the couples dancing and being in love and all that shit…” He heaved a great sigh. “I wanted that. For us.”

“Awwwww,” cooed Koutarou, who had been half watching, half scrolling through his phone on the sidelines. “Our little Kenma wants to be romanced!”

“You shut up,” said Kenma, savagely. Disgusting. The very idea. 

Keiji pet him soothingly, contemplating the blond hair beneath his fingers. He and Kenma typically planned a ‘spa day’ at the end of each month, to spend time together, just the two of them, and relax and feel pampered. But Kenma had requested it be moved up so that he could get his roots re-dyed, something he never remembered or brought up. It was usually Keiji mentioning it. He wondered if it had anything to do with this party, and if Kenma was perhaps more affected by it than he let on. 

He had developed techniques to work around his social anxiety, for the most part, but it wasn’t something that could be ‘cured’. Big events, like a formal party for the whole company, were very nerve-wracking for him. Kenma had asked Keiji to help him practice dancing, because practicing beforehand would make it less foreign and unknown during the party, and he might not be _so_ anxious if he had an idea of what he was doing. And if Keiji could help to ease his boyfriend’s anxiety, he would.

“Come on,” Keiji said, easing his way out from Kenma’s flop. “Let’s try again, but let’s do something a little different.” 

He pulled Kenma up to a standing position, embracing him gently and feeling the rigid tension of Kenma’s whole body. “Okay, well, a big part of the problem is that you’re wayyyy too stiff. This isn’t like, a formal dance like at a ball, or something,” Keiji explained. “There’s not going to be any waltzes, or any of that Pride and Prejudice kind of dancing, so forget about memorizing steps or patterns.”

Kenma grumbled under his breath. He did better with concrete things, like patterns and formulas. He wasn’t a fan of letting go of control and just trusting someone to lead him around. But despite their unconventional relationship, he wanted them to be able to do all of the things that other couples did, and that included dancing. He _wanted_ that.

“Okay,” said Keiji. “Let your body go loose… not that loose!” Kenma had gone limp in his arms, and while he wasn’t a large man, Keiji had no intention of carrying him around the dancefloor. “Ugh, Kenma, do you want my help or not?”

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry.”

Koutarou was laughing again, very unhelpfully. 

Ignoring him, Keiji continued. “Loose, like relaxed. Like… fluid.” He took hold of Kenma’s arms, still very stiff with tension, and he shook it out until he felt Kenma let go and Keiji could move it smoothly through the air. “See, that’s much better. Do you feel that?”

Kenma nodded, looking skeptical. 

“Make the rest of your body like that.”

“Easy for _you_ to say,” muttered Kenma. 

After a few minutes of working with him, adjusting and shaking and pushing and pulling, Keiji got Kenma suitably unstiff. “Now, close your eyes and trust me. We’re not going to dance yet. I just want you to feel me telling you where to move.”

“I don’t know what that meannnnns,” complained Kenma.

“That’s why you have to trust me.”

Despite his complaints, Kenma was actually really receptive to blind body cues, and he responded naturally to Keiji’s movements. “See?” asked Keiji, after several moments of this, “you don’t need any steps. You just move with your partner.”

“This is dancing?”

“Well, I mean, music would help,” conceded Keiji. He picked up his phone and had Pandora resume playing the Christmas music station. 

_“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”_

“....this is it?” asked Kenma, after a few minutes. “Well, I can do _this_. Why didn’t you say so in the beginning?”

Keiji bit his lip to keep from snapping. “Lord give me strength,” he muttered. “Just keep dancing.”

Two or three songs passed, and he could feel Kenma relaxing even more. He slid his hand up Kenma’s back, caressing his spine and pulling him closer. A moment later, Kenma rested his head on Keiji’s shoulder, and they kept dancing in silence. 

“Thanks, Keiji,” whispered Kenma, finally. “This is really nice.”

“It is, isn’t it?”

Koutarou was serenading them with ‘Santa Baby’, singing along to the music, when Tetsu emerged, yawning, from the bedroom a short while later. 

“What’s going on in here?” he asked, blinking groggily at his laughing boyfriends. He was still catching up on all the late night/early morning combinations he had been doing lately and often took a nap when he got home from work. 

“We’re practicing,” Keiji informed him.

“....for what?”

“So we can dance together at the party this weekend,” Kenma said. 

“Oh, is that so, Mr. Akaashi ‘I don’t dance’ Keiji??”

Keiji flushed. “This is an entirely different sort of dancing.”

“Hmm.” Tetsu looked at them, watching Keiji gently lead Kenma around. “I wanna practice, too. Kou?”

“I guess,” he said, not sounding super enthusiastic about it. He dropped his phone on his vacated chair and joined Tetsu.

“Didn’t you have dancing lessons in school?” Tetsu asked. “You should be a pro.”

“Weeeeeelllllllll,” said Kou, looking faintly guilty. “I usually skipped them. They made us dance with the girls, and I’ve never been super graceful. It was basically my worst nightmare come true.”

“Awww, Kou,” said Tetsu, pulling him closer. “Well, then we need the practice. Don’t worry, I won’t tell the teacher if you step on my toes.”

*

The practice paid off, especially for Koutarou, who had spent most of the past hour drifting around the room with Keiji in his arms. Technically, Koutarou was Kenma’s date, and Keiji was Tetsu’s, since they both were allowed to bring a partner to the party. But it was kind of boring for them, as they didn’t know most of the people there, so they kept each other company while Tetsu and Kenma chatted with their coworkers. 

Kenma was on his third champagne, and he was feeling pleasantly fizzy when Tetsu pulled him along to join the other couples dancing. He grinned as Tetsu bent to whisper in his ear, letting his lips brush along the soft skin of his neck and jaw. Tonight had been very enjoyable, despite all the drama surrounding their workplace and the uncertainty of Tetsu’s future with this company. He wasn’t even thinking about that now, just focusing on the happiness of having Tetsu gently swaying him around to the music, the closeness of him, the public intimacy of a dance. 

“I like your hair like that,” murmured Tetsu, fingering the soft strands of hair that had escaped the elaborate updo that Keiji had constructed. It emphasized Kenma’s bone structure, revealing his lovely face, and adding a more feminine counterpoint to the dark blue suit he wore. “You’re so gorgeous. I think there are a lot of people jealous of me tonight.” He smiled at Kenma’s flush. “You’ll probably have all kinds of admirers visiting you on Monday.”

“I’m definitely going to stay home sick on Monday,” replied Kenma, immediately. But he was pleased with Tetsu’s compliments. He had admired himself in the mirror for a few moments before they left, but hearing it from his beloved boyfriend was an ego boost. Hearing it from acquaintances was… awkward and kind of creepy.

“Hmm,” was all Tetsu said, and they danced for a while in silence, Kenma’s cheek against his shoulder. 

“Oh, Kuroo!” came an unwelcome voice, and the pair stopped, turning to find one of the members of the board--a well-dressed man with a rather red face and a half full tumbler of some kind of alcohol. “I thought that was you. Oh,” he said, peering closer. “Kozume? I didn’t realize you two were friends!” 

Kenma looked at Tetsu, who shrugged. They had clearly just been dancing together, and Tetsu still had his arm around Kenma, but sure. Friends.

“What can I do for you, sir?” asked Tetsu, his tone pleasant but neutral.

“I just wanted to make sure you know that we’ve noticed all your hard work lately,” said the man jovially, and somewhat condescendingly, as though he was talking to a nephew or something. “I always said to the others, ‘that Kuroo is the man we’re looking for!’ And here you are, working so meticulously, clocking in early, clocking out late… putting everything aside in the search for progress! That is the path to a promotion, young man!”

Kenma had started to pull away during this pompous speech, but Tetsu was holding him firm. 

“That’s very kind of you, sir,” he began.

“Not at all, not at all!” interrupted the board member. “And how is our little project progressing?”

“Well, sir…” Tetsu trailed off, looking at Kenma. Then he started over again with a firmer tone. “Sir, I’d be happy to discuss that with you on Monday. However, right now, I am spending time with my family, who I will _not_ be putting aside for my job anymore, promotion or no. I deserve a life outside of work, too, and while I enjoy my work and place great importance on it, it is not the _only_ important thing. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get back to my _friend_.” Not waiting for a response, he pulled a grinning Kenma closer and dipped him into a thorough kiss. When they surfaced, the man had disappeared, which was quite a welcome absence in both of their opinions.

Kenma stretched up to kiss him again, a light peck. “I think you should probably start looking for other jobs.” He was still smiling widely, beaming at Tetsu.

“I already have,” he admitted. 

“I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself,” said Kenma.

“Thanks. But now I think I need to sit down. I’m shaking.” Tetsu had never in his life spoken to a superior like that, and while it needed to be said, and it had felt _good_ while he was saying it, he now felt rather sick and like he might pass out. 

“Come on,” said Kenma, taking his arm and leading him through the crowd and back to their table. “It’s probably the adrenaline wearing off. It’ll pass.” He deposited Tetsu into a chair. “I’ll go get you some cookies and some punch.” Before moving away though, he leaned down, bracing his hands on the back of the chair. He whispered into Tetsu’s ear: “That was, quite possibly, the hottest thing I’ve ever seen you do.”

After he moved away, Tetsu slumped forward, resting his face in his hands, elbows on the table, etiquette be damned. He could feel his heart racing, which was absurd, because it wasn’t like he had told his boss to go fuck himself… well, maybe he kind of did, but not so crudely. He doubted there would be any security showing up to escort him out of the party, or anything, but he knew the consequences were coming. He’d probably have to put his notice in first thing on Monday, before they could fire him. His stomach churned unpleasantly at that.

But at the same time, he felt relief. The horrible limbo was over; he had made a decision. Now he could move forward. And Kenma had promised to come with him. That thought made him smile, though he rather felt like he should warn some of his coworkers of the hell they were about to enter. 

“Tetsu?”

He looked up to see Keiji and Kou standing next to the table, looking concerned. 

“Are you all right?” asked Keiji. He pressed a cool hand against Tetsu’s forehead, a move that reminded him strongly of his mother. “Are you sick?”

“No, I’m okay. Er…”

“I wanna tell them!” exclaimed Kenma, running up with the cookies and a cup of the sweet fruit punch. “Can I, _please_?”

Tetsu smiled. “Sure. Anything for you.”

*

With a luxurious stretch, Kenma rolled over, pulling the covers up higher to block out the light from the window. Gradually, as awareness crept over him, he sensed an emptiness where a warm body should be, and he cracked an eye open to see that Tetsu was gone. That was less than ideal, as Kenma wanted to cuddle into him and lounge about a bit, but it was not upsetting enough that he was going to actually get up and look for him. He pulled the covers over his head and sulked. 

Some time later, the click of the door opening disturbed his dozy sleep, and he felt the bed dip as someone sat. The covers lifted a fraction, not enough to shine light on Kenma, but enough to let the strong scent of coffee waft into his burrow. Hmm. Well, it did smell good, and it would be wasteful to let it get cold and undrinkable. 

He slowly eased his way out of the nest of blankets to peer blearily at Keiji, sitting back against the headboard. “Coffee?” he asked, pitifully. 

Keiji handed him a mug and waited until Kenma had consumed about half of it. “You didn’t have to sleep in here,” he said, finally. 

“Ah, well, we figured you two might want some alone time,” replied Kenma, smirking as Keiji blushed pink. He and Tetsu had slept in the second bedroom; it wasn’t really a spare room, since it was often used like this, or when one of them needed to get up early and didn’t want to disturb the others, etc. “Wait, where is Tetsu?” he asked.

“Making breakfast,” replied Keiji, lifting his own coffee mug to take a sip. “And Kou went for a run.”

Kenma shook his head, forever perplexed by the desire to jump right out of bed and do things, especially on a Saturday, when lying around was possible. “So,” he said, looking meaningfully at Keiji, “how was it?”

Keiji rolled his eyes. “You’re the worst, Kozume Kenma. You make it sound like I’ve never slept with him before.” It had been a while, truthfully. Keiji had a much lower desire for sex than the others and tended to seek out other forms of intimacy, but when he was in the mood for it, he could always find a willing boyfriend. And he had planned last night, as Kenma well knew. He had been seducing Koutarou all throughout the Christmas party.

“I know. But how was it?”

“It was good,” said Keiji, smiling in spite of himself. “Tender and romantic.”

“Aww,” said Kenma, with something like disappointment in his tone, “even with your surprise?”

“Oh, he loved that,” said Keiji, wriggling slightly. “But I’m afraid we won’t get a repeat performance.” At Kenma’s questioning look, he clarified, “He bit through one of the straps.”

Kenma laughed loudly, almost spilling his coffee in his mirthful spasms. 

“Shush,” said Keiji, though not very forcefully. “You asked.” He smiled softly to himself as he recalled the previous night. “It was just how I like it,” he said. 

“Good,” said Kenma, genuinely pleased for his boyfriend. “I jumped Tetsu when we got home.” He paused for a moment, considering. “I’m glad to have him back.”

“I know,” replied Keiji, lifting his arm to let Kenma snuggle up against him. “Me too.” 

Even though it wasn’t fully resolved, there was a real feeling of relief among the four of them, just to know what was going on and to know that everyone would be supportive, regardless of what happened. It was like a black cloud had been hanging over them, and it had dissipated, letting in some sunshine. Keiji felt extremely peaceful, leaning back against the pillows, with Kenma curled against him. “Don’t go back to sleep,” he warned. “Kou’s been looking forward to going ice skating for weeks. And he’s already a little sulky because it still hasn’t snowed.”

“I’m not,” murmured Kenma. “Just cuddling.”

Keiji pressed a kiss to his head and pulled him closer. It wouldn’t do any harm to lie here until breakfast was ready.

*

The air was cold, their breath visible with every exhale, but Tetsu was starting to feel unpleasantly sweaty under his winter coat. “Kou, you’re a professional athlete. How are you so bad at this?”

“I don’t play hockey!” retorted Koutarou. He held his body rigid, leaning slightly backwards into Tetsurou, who was steering him around the ice rink. 

The park near their house was the site of a pop-up outdoor ice rink every year, but this is the first year they had made time to go, and Tetsu was doubtful they would do it again. Koutarou had been the most excited, having always watched the skaters in previous years, no doubt longing to join them with their colorful scarves streaming behind them as they glided across the ice… but he had never been skating. And he was not good at it.

He had already fallen three times, the knees of his jeans wet and dirty (though fortunately not bloody), and he was scared. Tetsu was trying to be encouraging, but it wasn’t going well. 

“I think I’m too big,” said Kou, mournfully. “These tiny little skate blades just can’t hold up my body.”

Tetsu rolled his eyes. “Have you ever seen a hockey player, Kou? They’re just as big as you, and they wear all kinds of heavy stuff. Though…” he frowned, unsure. “They might wear different kinds of skates.” He wasn’t a hockey expert, either. But he could do simple forward skating. 

“Yeah, see!” exclaimed Kou, as if that had confirmed his point. 

“No, no, no,” said Tetsu. “You can do this. You have plenty of leg strength. You just need to find your balance.”

“I don’t have anyyyyy,” Kou wailed. “I told you I’m not graceful!”

“You were just dancing with Keiji last night, and you looked graceful enough!”

“That’s because he was leading me! And he was graceful.”

That was true. Keiji had taken off like a shot as soon as his skates were on, startling the others somewhat with his enthusiasm. Maybe Kou wasn’t the only one who had been excited. Keiji was right at home on skates, and they paused to watch him every time he skated past. 

“Well, I still think you can do it. You just can’t be too scared to try. I’ll help you.” He pulled Kou to the railing and draped him over it. 

Koutarou grumbled, but he let Tetsu position his body, holding onto the rail for dear life. 

After about half an hour, he could stand by himself (though he was extremely wobbly and dropped to a crouch any time he felt like he was overbalancing) and he could make very slow movements forward. 

“See, look!” said Tetsu, skating slowly next to him. “You’re doing it!”

“I’m doing it!” repeated Kou, triumphantly, beaming at Tetsu. “Keiji, look, I’m skating!”

Keiji glided to a stop in front of them, giving Koutarou a soft smile. “You’re doing great,” he agreed. 

“Where’s Kenma?” Koutarou demanded. 

“I think he skated for about ten minutes and then escaped to get hot chocolate and sit around playing his game,” replied Tetsu, pointing to a round lump of winter coat and scarf and hat sitting on a nearby bench. Upon closer examination, it seemed that he had also pulled his legs up into his coat, which accounted for the extreme lumpiness to his appearance.

“Oh. Do you think he’ll share?” asked Kou, looking over at the Kenma lump.

“No.” Kenma was not the best of sharers, and he never had been, as Tetsu knew. He had been an only child, so no one had ever made him. Fortunately, something had shifted as he got older, and now he saw important things as ‘ours’ instead of ‘mine’, but Tetsu doubted that hot chocolate would fall under the ‘ours’ category. “But you could get your own, if you want.”

“Um, yeah,” said Kou, looking down at his skates. “I’m getting tired.”

Tetsu helped him over to exchange his skates for his boots and then abandoned him to ambush Kenma. He skated back over to Keiji, who was doing slow, lazy laps. “Can I join you?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. 

“Of course.” Keiji held out his hand, and Tetsu took it.

“I didn’t know you were such a good skater,” said Tetsu, after a moment of skating in silence.

“I’m very out of practice,” replied Keiji with a smile. “I haven’t done any skating for years, but it comes back. I took lessons as a child, and I was very close to doing figure skating instead of volleyball, but volleyball was more accessible. I’m glad I chose that, in the end,” he added, squeezing Tetsu’s hand. “But it is nice to feel the ice under me again.”

“Can you do the fancy tricks?”

Keiji laughed. “Not now. I’d probably break my neck if I attempted anything now. I’d need months of strength training to work up to that level.”

“Mmm, but I’d bet you’d be the prettiest horrific accident any of these people had ever seen,” mused Tetsu. 

Keiji shook his head. “I’d rather not go to the emergency room, thank you.” He shot forward a little and turned so that he was skating backwards in front of Tetsu. “Besides, it’s nice to just skate around and enjoy the ice with someone you love. Right?”

Tetsu blew him a kiss. “You’re absolutely right, my love. Skate on. Where you lead, I’ll follow.”

A wide grin spread across Keiji’s face. “Try to keep up.”

*

It was extraordinarily early when Kenma awoke, much too early to get up, and he blinked around the dark room. There was no sign of any disturbance, and he had no idea what had pulled him from sleep. Keiji lay next to him, dark curls fanned out over the pillow, breathing peacefully; Koutarou and Tetsu were curled together on his other side, Tetsu holding Kou like a teddy bear, and their soft sleep noises were comfortingly familiar. All seemed to be well, and Kenma relaxed, snuggling back down into his spot between them. He felt warm and cozy, surrounded by people he loved, and it didn’t take long for the peaceful feeling to lull him back into slumber.

A shout woke him a second time, and while it felt like only seconds since he had closed his eyes, it was clearly hours later, with bright daylight shining into the room. The bed was shuddering and jolting beneath him, and at first, he thought there was an earthquake happening, but the earthquake turned out to just be Koutarou jumping on their bed like a child. 

“What is it?” he grumbled, pushing his hair out of his eyes to glare up at the disturbance-maker.

“Snow!” shouted Kou. “It snowed, it snowed! Wake up!” 

“Is this a dream?” asked Keiji, who was adorably sleep-rumpled and confused. “I don’t think I like it.”

Tetsu was now also standing on the bed to look out of the high window beside Kou. “Nope, he’s right. There’s snow.”

“Snooooooow!” crowed Koutarou, triumphantly. “Come on, come on!” He pulled at Kenma’s arms, trying to lever him out of bed. 

“Come where?” asked Keiji, still rather confused. 

“Outside!”

“I’ll start the coffee,” said Tetsu, accepting that none of them would be going back to sleep any time soon. 

Kenma shot him a grateful look as he left the room, and he allowed Koutarou to pick him up. Kou had been whining about the lack of snow for the past several weeks, and it had finally appeared, so his excitement was infectious. What’s more… “Isn’t today Christmas Eve?” asked Kenma. 

“Yes!” exclaimed Koutarou. “A white Christmas! It’s a Christmas _miracle!_ ” He spun Kenma around enthusiastically, before promptly dropping him back onto the bed and running out of the room. “Let’s go!” he bellowed, as he raced down the hall. 

“Outside?” asked Keiji, rubbing at his eyes. He suddenly sat up straighter and looked much more awake. “ _Outside_! Koutarou, take your coat!” He scrambled out of bed and after Kou, with Kenma following at a much slower pace. 

Kenma stuffed his feet into his boots, tucking his pajama pants into the fur lined tops, and pulled his big coat around himself. He blinked against the brightness outside, shading his eyes as he trudged through the accumulation of snow on the ground. It was still snowing--big, lazy flakes drifting down through the air and melting on Kenma’s open palm. 

He joined Keiji, who was frantically waving a hat at Koutarou, and grinned at Kou’s happy frolicking. Kou had his coat on, but it was open, and he was wearing only a t-shirt and boxer shorts under it, with his bare feet shoved into boots. Their neighbours thought they were weirdos, for sure, but Kenma couldn’t be bothered to care. 

“Hat and gloves, Kou,” insisted Keiji, stomping his foot in the snow. “You don’t want to be sick for Christmas, do you?”

“Fine, fine,” he conceded, trotting over to press kisses all over Keiji’s face as Keiji pushed a hat over his wild white hair and down to cover his ears. “I’m gonna build a snowman!”

“I don’t know that there’s enough snow for that,” said Kenma, doubtfully. There were a few inches of snow on the ground, but he could still see tufts of grass sticking through in places. 

“I _am_ ,” repeated Koutarou stubbornly. “A little one. Lots of little ones! Tetsu will help me, right?”

“Sure, babe,” said Tetsu, who had just emerged from the house with two steaming mugs in his hands. He handed them to Kenma and Keiji before joining a beaming Koutarou and squatting down to start rolling small balls of snow. 

Somewhat appeased, Keiji watched them without comment, and Kenma turned his focus to the life-giving coffee for a few minutes. 

There were several small snowpeople forming in front of them, and Tetsu appeared to be making a snowcat.

Kenma smiled at them, feeling extremely content, despite the cold. He looked at Keiji and nudged him gently with an elbow. “Keiji,” he said. “Are you happy?”

Keiji stared at him a moment, his pretty face framed by the fur hood of his coat. A smile slowly spread across his face, and he turned back to watch the other two in their snow antics. “Yes,” he replied. “I am.”

Leaning against his shoulder, Kenma simply said, “Me too.”


End file.
